Game on Dude looks tough to catch in Native Diver

After finishing a well-beaten seventh as the 6-5 favorite in the Breeders'

Cup Classic, Game on Dude will attempt to end 2012 on a winning note when he

lines up for Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000

Native

Diver at Hollywood Park. The five-year-old gelding faces a couple of nice

rivals in the five-horse field, but none appear quick enough to run with him

early. He could prove difficult to catch from the rail with new jockey Mike

Smith.

An easy winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup in July, Game on Dude will

seeking his third win in four local starts on the Cushion Track. The Bob

Baffert-trained son of Awesome Again also captured posted convincing victories in the

Grade 1 Awesome Again (formerly the Goodwood) and Grade 2

San Antonio at Santa Anita this year as well as a close second in the Grade 1

Pacific Classic on Del Mar's Polytrack. He turned in an uncharacteristically

flat performance in the Breeders' Cup, unable to keep up during the early stages

despite possessing top early pace figures, and essentially spit the bit by the

midway point of the far turn, eventually finishing 15 lengths behind the winning

Fort Larned.

He appears to be training forwardly for the 1 1/8-mile Native Diver,

recording a recent five-furlong bullet drill at Santa Anita, and there is no

suspense surrounding Smith's tactics: the Hall of Fame jockey will send the dark

bay from the start. Game on Dude will be spotting his main rivals, Richard's Kid

and Nonios, five pounds each as the 124-pound highweight.

Nonios is an up-and-coming sophomore. The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee captured

his stakes debut this summer, the Grade 3 Affirmed at Hollywood, and finished

second in the Grade 2 Swaps and Grade 1 Haskell in his next two outings.

Following a fifth in the Grade 1 Travers, the Pleasantly Perfect colt rallied to

be a clear second in the Awesome Again. Nonios split the field in the Breeders'

Cup Classic, checking in sixth, and should relish the cutback to nine furlongs.

Martin Pedroza retains the mount on the stalker.

Kettle Corn will make a title defense against a much deeper field this year.

The John Sadler-trained five-year-old exits a turf allowance score earlier in

the meet. Make Music for Me, unraced since a turf allowance win in May,

completes the line-up.

The supporting feature Saturday is the $65,000

Skillful

Joy for three-year-old fillies at six furlongs on turf. It will go as the

third race. The field of eight is topped by 124-pound high weight Reneesgotzip

and Byrama.